There are many aspects of coastal defence strategies in Norfolk. In the above picture, the line sticking out of the sea is the end of a groyne. These are used to prevent longshore drift (when the prevailing wind causes waves to move sediment across the beach). This helps build up the beach, protecting the coastline. As you can see in the picture above, they are all submerged due to a very high tide.

The large boulders in the image before are known as "riprap" or "rock armour". These rocks absorb some of the waves' energy, preventing damage to the coastline.

Finally, the sea wall (in all above pictures) is literally a concrete slope (and wall) that absorbs lots of the waves' energy and stops the water from flooding over into the village during storms.

All these aspects of coastal defence are to minimise the impact of coastal erosion and - in result - prevent the beach from retreating. This protects people living along the coast.

 Unfortunately, as the sea level continues to rise, coastal erosion will be an even bigger problem as we will have to invest in the fortification of the defences already in place. There is no permanent solution to this, apart from mitigating climate change.

As you can see in the picture below, there are many houses by the sea. In fact, the entirety of Heacham (an important tourist town) is behind that sea wall. This calls for protection, and is why we see all these defences.

In Wells-next-the-Sea, there is a flood defence system that prevents water from flooding into the all-important tourist town. This was built in June 2012 and was an improvement to the previous version, costing £116,000. It creates a tight seal when closed and is very aesthetically pleasing.

Source: Wells-Next-The-Sea | Flood Control International | Case Study